


Consequences of Your Actions

by PhantasmaDormi



Series: Syndianite/Diacate [17]
Category: Mianite - Fandom, Mianite(Minecraft Series), Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Characters based purely on the youtube series, Fluff, M/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Rare Pair, at the beginning, unrevised
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-11-29
Packaged: 2019-01-09 12:36:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12276618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantasmaDormi/pseuds/PhantasmaDormi
Summary: Vampire AU! Dianite has had many lovers over the years. Some were mere playthings, meant to pass the time. Others were passionate loves, a fire raging until their inevitable demise. Very few were of the immortal variety, most searching for a power grab, others enthralled by his image. One was different, one was special. And he’d be damned if he was going to let him slip away.





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

> Started in August

Tonight, there was something amiss in the city. As the residents slept, unaware of the feud taking place beyond their homes, beings of majesty that far outweighed their own were locked in battle. Meriden was ruled by chaos by night, and with each second passing, there was more to go around.

The Lord of the East had assembled his army very carefully. Each warrior had undergone tests, knowingly or not, to abide by certain standards. Their turning was meticulously planned to keep suspicion at bay. His soldiers held a slew of abilities, sorted both on those and their personality. The loyalty of his followers was made certain by the sire bond. His battalions far outnumbered that of the West Lord’s.

The Lord of the West had an army of considerable means. They had assembled of their own dedications, each loyal to him, under the sire bond, or through a will driven by what they saw from him. Despite their uptake as his soldiers, many lacked basic combat skills. Their first thought was not of war, but of being there for their Lord. Only those of higher class, or those of deeper connection, pushed themselves to be ready to protect him at any cost. Unfortunately, the cost was higher than they could have imagined.

It was no secret the Lords were at odds. Despite being brothers, their intents for each other were less than friendly. Though they were always at one another’s throats, itching to fight, seldom did they wage full wars against the other. Their battles never ended with a winner, the damage to both sides gave nothing in return to the Lords. And at the end of it all, they were one of the few who understood each other.

Dianite, the Eastern Lord, had not woken with the intention the starting such a battle. His growing army was not established to destroy his brother’s faction. Such intentions had not been on his mind for many months now, his thoughts occupied by other events. The lurking threat edging into the city, the mysterious shadows, was but one of these worries. The other of his mortal lover, a human of which he had become rather attached to.

But as the sun fell, and the Lord went to discuss the matter with his brother, he failed to notice something was wrong. Lost in his worries, his keen senses were ignored, the signs bypassed. In the end, this was what let him fall into this trap. His dear brother, Mianite, the Western Lord, had been waiting with much different intentions for his visit. For before him, snarling and forced to his knees, was none other than Thomas Cassel, his beloved human.

Perhaps if he’d have taken a critical eye to the scene, he would have noticed the shadows in the background, how unnatural they were. He could have taken note of the dampened look in his brother’s eyes, how they appeared almost lifeless. Could he have changed the course of the evening with the insinuation this information had given him, what he knew these signs meant? Had it been any other being before the Lord, maybe he could have.

As it stands, he showed a considerable amount of strength keeping himself from launching forward, tearing his brother apart from so much as threatening his lover. He could feel the rage setting in, his body burning with it. Fire jumped from his fingertips, and he forced himself to stay rooted to where he stood.

“My brother,” Mianite called from across the alleyway, the meeting point they had settled upon centuries earlier, placed in neutral ground.

“You seem a tad stressed. Have you been keeping up with your sleep schedule? I know when you take human,” he rolled the word distastefully in his mouth, “you prefer to give them the illusion of being one of them.” Tilting his head to the side in mock curiosity, the Lord asked, “Say, did you ever tell this lovely toy of yours what you are?”

Mianite’s hand was dug into the mortal’s bright blue hair, twisting the locks cruelly as he craned Tom’s neck back until he had a full view of his face. 

“Look at that pretty face,” he cooed, as the human snarled, trying to yank out of the awful grip that was keeping him in place.

The Lord continued as though there was no resistance, bending down to brush his lips against Tom’s neck, “So feisty too. It’s no wonder you're so fond of him. Though, I must say, I’m rather surprised that you let him keep the blue hair. Not quite your color. Were you considering giving him to me as a gift, painting him my color just for me?” 

He cut himself off with a soft chuckle, a glint of fangs poking into the open air, “He looks so captivating. I could take him right here. The feel of his skin giving way beneath my teeth, his gasps reaching my ears, his blood coursing down my throat.”

A growl ripped from Dianite’s throat, all his instincts screaming for retribution, to rip out the Lord’s jugular, to sever his head, pull his fangs from his jaw. But he knew one wrong move could cost his love his life. Faintly, he could feel the concern of his fledglings, the unease. This sent his protective urges overboard, made his head spin.

“If you don’t remove your hand from him, I will remove it for you,” Dianite seethed, the air between them charged, a heaviness covering the area.

“My, my, I don’t believe you are in the place to make such remarks.” He straightened himself back up, letting his nails, slowly extending into claws, scrape against the mortal’s cheek. “I’d hate to ruin such beauty.”

The Eastern Lord knew his brother wanted something, but the object of his desires eluded him. 

He begrudgingly asked the wretched question, words dripping with malice, “What is it you want?” 

The Vampire Lord sighed, disappointed with the query. 

“How boring,” Mianite drawled with an accompanying eyeroll, “Surely you could do better than that? What could I possibly want? What could you offer me that I could not provide for myself? Your part of the city. For many centuries, we have cultivated this from a small, pathetic town, to a true village, to a sprawling city, now capable of being labeled a metropolis. And I want it all. Yours, Ianite’s. Everything.”

The only light shining on this bullshit was from the half moon, climbing towards midnight, and the dangerous glow in Dianite’s eyes.

Clenching his hands into tight fists, the Lord grit out, “Give me back Tom, and you can fucking have it bastard.” 

Mianite’s eyebrows shot up, clearly not expecting the Lord to cave so fast. With a shrug, he pushed Tom into a standing position, before approaching the other Lord. Keeping his left hand curled around the mortal’s neck, he thrust his right hand out. 

“Let’s make this a true deal. Bound by magic. The only way to break it is to start a new one, or for one of us to kill the other. But” he paused, as Dianite reached his hand forward, “We have to wait at least 24 hours before we can go after each other.” Flashing his pearly whites in a mocking smile, he invitingly placed his hand within reach. 

Without hesitating, Dianite shook his hand. Tom was worth it.

However, both had a card up their sleeves. Dianite still had his army, full of loyal, trained fledglings, who might as well have been his children, and many allies with them. Mianite, on the other hand, was ready to enact a loophole. Taking his hand back, he shoved it through Tom’s gut in one fluid motion, a fatal blow that would give the two lovers mere minutes together. As the mortal fell towards the Lord, Dianite roared, rage and agony coursing through him. He lashed out at Mianite, but he was gone.  
“Kill him,” the Lord screeched, reaching out through the link he held with his fledglings, “Tear apart his army and destroy his home. Leave nothing left.” 

Resounding echoes of rage and war sounded in his head, but he was focused on the body collapsed in his arms.

“Tom, Tom focus,” Dianite struggled to stay calm. His rage burned, fire screaming to be released. He knew the next few moments would be the most important for Tom’s life. Whether he would still have one. 

“Beloved, do you want to live? Do you want to stay with me?” The human’s glazed over eyes struggled to find him in the gloom, centering on the orange glow emanating from them. 

He nodded, adding a faint, whispering croak, “Yes. I won’t leave you alone to suffer.” 

The Lord rest his forehead on Tom’s. “Even if you become a monster?” 

With the last of his energy, Tom forced out the word, “Yes.”

Biting his lips hard enough to draw blood, the Lord kissed his lover one final time for the night. In all his glory and might, he had only been able to save one of his followers at such a last-minute attempt. The blood flowing out of Tom would speed of the process, as much as it would close the window for the change. Time was of the essence, and it was slipping fast.


	2. Chapter 1

Meriden was full of entropy. While the humans slept the streets were painted a dark carmine, the howls and screams of the wretched slipping into their dreams-turned-nightmares. Death haunted every corner, retrieving the souls of those who lost their color, their throat, their heart. It was a flood of vampires, of agony, of many voices crying out into the growing gloom. One side moved with an unbreakable wrath, the connection strengthened by a deep mourning. The other fled with the disarray of confusion, the unsettling lack of preparation and being caught off guard belittling their efforts to stand their ground. It was becoming a massacre, the Lord of the West losing more than he could afford to. And he had yet to resurface to experience the pain of what his weakness had caused.

Within this swarm rest one untouched place, far above the reach of the pandemonium. The penthouse was in disarray on its own. Clothes were thrown about on the upstairs bedroom floor, dishes were heaped in the sink, each room contained its own mess. But this was not the part of the building that was disturbed. Barely a floor below, one meant purely for business, was cluttered and practically taken apart. Here, one could perceive the distinct air of fear and distress. No one who would ever set foot in the room would call it out.

In what had been a large office space, most of the furniture had been violently shoved towards the walls, some even creating dents where they had hit. Surrounded by temporary walls and smashed computers was a cleared-out circle harboring a set out jumble of square cushions, taken from the sparse scattering of couches. Upon them lay a pale, stripped figure. He lay there, unmoving, with mere undergarments to protect his decency. The only distinguishable marks on the body were a white blotch centered on the man’s gut and two puncture wounds on his neck. No sound came from him.

The silence was broken by one faint heartbeat. For the Lord waiting with a bated breath above the prone figure, each slow beat sent a growing pinch of despair. He had taken every step to keep his love with him longer. With a careful hand, he had sealed the fatal wound. He gave him drops of his blood, enough for the mortal to draw strength from. All to make it to where he could safely revive him.

In any other circumstance, the process would have been much easier. He would have had more time. Instead of making estimations on what he had, on his window of opportunity, he would have elaborately set up each step. With this man in particular, he would have had an extravagant room set up, to provide the best transition. As it was, the quickest, most familiar place he could set up was a goddamn office. As he had taken the rest of the blood from the human, he worried he had already lost too much. The flow felt short, he had drawn far less than most before him. When he undressed him, he agonized over the time he had left, whether he had enough. Each second passed inching closer to the worst conclusion. He refused to accept it. He could not have failed him.

~

Tom woke with one urge ingrained in him: he was super fucking thirsty. His throat felt rough and cracked, struggling to swallow when all it had was air. His first lucid thought, however, was much different. I’m going to fucking murder that little bitch Mianite. With a hoarse growl, he propelled upward, over shooting and coming face to face with his knees. Dots danced in his vision, as he was hit with vertigo. Warms hands were placed on his shoulders, caressing them, a wave of relief washing over him.

A needy sound escaped his open mouth, rough and pained. His head was maneuvered to the crook of a man’s neck, Dia, his mind sighed in bliss. He registered a soothing coo reaching his ears, as he helplessly mouthed at the skin. 

And with one simple command, “Drink,” his newly crafted fangs pushed forward, through the layer separating him from what he needed, craved. Greedy mouthfuls alleviated the ache in his throat, dulled the desire for blood, a pure, euphoric sensation crawling through his veins.

He released the flesh caught in his mouth with a pant. He let him float in the swimming feelings of contentedness and unabashed glee. Protected by a warm embrace and pleasantly full, he was fine to stay as he was. Nevertheless, he felt himself being moved from his happy, albeit awkward position, lifted by those same, strong arms. Settling himself, he let out a pleased hum, half-lidded eyes barely tracking their journey to the elevator, to their home. Quick steps found them in the bedroom.

Delicate kisses were peppered along his face and neck, as they relaxed into their bed. Pillows were piled against him, sheets pulled close around him, but the Lord never released his hold. Dianite stayed curled around his beloved, his dearest, his Tom, who was almost taken from him. Never again would he let anyone come that close to taking Tom’s life. Not before they took his.  
Tom was delighted to be wrapped in such comforts. He lazily lapped at the healing bite in the Lord’s neck, mostly closed despite having happened mere minutes ago. 

Though he wanted to sleep once more, his senses kept him up. Beyond the serene atmosphere permeating the air, he could make out a strange wailing sound, perhaps the wind swirling around the building. A smell so Dianite was spread around the room, mixing with one that was so familiar, yet he could not place it. He wondered for a moment, before realizing it was his, a muskier version of what he smelled like fresh from the shower. The tingle on his taste buds still lingered long after his self-indulgent drink, making him more aware of them than ever before. Even his skin felt the contact of each sheet with startling clarity.

Except, he was cold. Above all other sensations, he could feel the minor shift of temperature in the room, hardly a degree difference. But it bothered him. Snuggling closer to his lover, he sought out the strange, natural warmth that he emitted. For a creature that seldom encountered sunlight, he radiated a heat that rivaled the sun’s rays. As a human, Tom took delight in long cuddle sessions, all too happy to curl into the Lord. Now, he was satisfied to find it wrapped around him.

All his thoughts were cut off with a single word. “Sleep.” 

Dianite pressed a soft kiss to the top of Tom’s head, stroking a hand down his arched spine. From the connection of his other fledglings, he could tell that they were both happy he was happy, and frustrated that they could no longer locate any enemies. He could tell that both his brother and his following had fled. 

Though he had signed over his portion of the city, he maintained control of two things: his towers and his people. The Lord closed his eyes. He was certain his own following would track down any threats from Mianite. For the time being, he was content to stay with his newest fledgling. And for the rest of the night, and all of the day, the two stayed pressed against each other, unwilling to leave the embrace.


	3. Chapter 2

Though the night was over and the sun had begun its ascension, many vampires mulled about. Most found themselves carefully reconstructing their office, deeming what was salvageable and what needed to be replaced. Amidst these people were ones scouring through information, from paperwork, from video feeds, from supposed sightings, anything the internet could provide. Each had one purpose: find Mianite or one of his lackeys. And for their Lord, and even their own personal grudges, they were determined to do so.

Furia, the Head Advisor to the Lord, was overseeing this operation. Between hunting down the filthy Mianitees mere hours before, and working through the chaos and daylight hours, he was fucking exhausted. And the ones he was watching and, at times, helping, were coming up with nothing. Even the part of the city Dianite had handed over was untouched by the insolent faction. Instead, something rather… peculiar was taking place. The humans were changing.

The particular district he was observing was a quieter townhouse block. Many families lived there, with young and older children, elderly living the rest of their lives in peace, and even the impoverished made up one section of the neighborhood. (Dianite had assigned people to look into support systems for them, claimed that no potential child of his was to be forced to survive under such horrendous conditions. Furia assumed that meant he felt bad for the humans).   
Where they would naturally have been out and about, the children being herded off to school in a stout bus packing to the brim, adults preparing themselves up for another shift at work, and the elderly taking their positions on the front porch to call across the street to each other the latest gossip, few were up.

Today, a handful of kids meandered over their bus stops, seemingly dazed, as though they had not slept enough. Most of the adults seemed to stare listlessly at their breakfast, the TV, their cars. Even the elderly, somehow energetic for their years, were startlingly quiet. Upon closer look, they almost appeared… paranoid? Some of those who were delighted to waddle out to their porches and checked it with a quick glance before locking their doors, keen on simultaneously appearing to be absent of their homes, while having every light on. This was in no way normal for their humans.  
The Advisor was unnerved, so to speak. These developments meant more to him than the others, who were still searching for Mianite. His Lord shared many secrets with him, including the growing threat of The Shadows. The first time he had heard of them was when one of their own, who had chosen to vacation beyond the city, mentioned the strange corruption he had seen in towns he had passed. Others in their group, the young vampire had recounted, spoke of these strange shadows creeping into their homes. The only reason most had noticed them was due to the general avoidance the strange intruders had towards fire. With most of Dianite’s following harboring some sort of pyrokinesis, this information was confirmed by many sources.

So far, the people they had watching its movement, (just two, for the sake of simplicity, and to keep the information closer at hand), found that it could not corrupt their group. They theorized that the presence of pyrokinesis in the following, essentially an inner fire for each vampire, kept the shadows at bay when they came too close. However, it could easily take anyone who was either unaware, or not ‘strong’ enough to counteract it. They had yet to discover what you had to have strength in, watching both the smallest of children and the largest of adults resist the change. So far, only a measly 2% managed to evade corruption. And if the symptoms they described in the people fighting the corruption were universal, Furia found that this district was falling to it.

“Keep searching. If you don’t find anything in,” he spared a glance at the closest clock, reading 7:42 am, he continued, “say, the next hour and 45 minutes, go rest. We can have someone fill in if we are in such need.” With a small bit of grandeur, Furia strode from the room, calling the elevator. The ride to the next floor was silent and tense. Though he stewed in the implications of this recent development, he wasn’t sure how far it would go.

As the elevator doors opened, Furia could feel a rise in temperature. He wasn’t surprised. He had seen the turning of many fledglings, and they each found solace in both the presence of their lord, and heat. This could commonly be attributed to the instilling fire powers most, if not all, came into. He had a feeling, with Tom, it would be a bit different. And lo and behold, he was right.

Where a typical fledgling would be fidgety, itching to test new abilities and explore, Tom stayed nestled up against Dianite, nosing along his jaw and almost purring, however that worked. The Lord, though he had his lover secured rather well on his lap, was conducting his own investigation of Mianite’s whereabouts, his eyes glowing with telltale distance. It was likely he was communicating through one of his subjects with an outside source. He would put some money on the contact being his sister and Lady Ianite of the North. (The south was mostly divided between the three, with a middle portion remaining the most neutral place).

He took the moment to plop down in an armchair next to the loveseat they were sprawled in. Knowing Dia was aware of his presence, he leaned his head back with a tired groan. Eyes closed, he blanked out for what felt like minutes, but was, in reality, a solid twenty minutes.  
“Furia?” He peeked one eye open begrudgingly, looking over at the Lord. He was facing the Advisor, giving his full attention, with the exception of having pulled Tom down to curl up against his chest. 

The groggy vampire began without holding back, “We have yet to find any trace of Mianite.” Based on the irritated look he received Dianite held no information on his brother either. “However, I noticed on particular problem: The shadows have made a move into our territory.

Though the Lord kept any emotion from his face, Furia could tell by the way he pulled Tom impossibly closer that this greatly worried him. 

He was silent for a moment, before beginning his querying, “How far?” Furia recounted what he had seen, giving him the comparison between the feed and what their lookouts had seen previously. 

“Bring the Modesteps back in. We’ll need anything new they have gathered,” the Lord ordered, adding as a last thought, “We’ll have to add more people to the watch. How are we faring at the moment?” 

Furia looked Dianite dead in the eye. “I feel like I pranced through the daylight in nothing but a bikini and then decided to let myself be run over by a steamroller. Everyone looks like a goddamn zombie.” He broke off with a bright smile. 

“We’re doing just peachy, thank you. Everything will be better when we have Mianite’s head on a silver platter.” With a flourish, he stood once more, ignoring the dizziness that poked at him. “We’ll live. Just don’t let Tom leave the building. We can take care of most of this for the time being.”

Before Furia left the room, the Lord shouted one thing after him, “Don’t fucking overwork yourselves! Just because you all love working your asses off, it doesn’t mean I want to walk down and see a bunch of children passed out on the floor.” And then he found his way to the elevator, preparing himself to relay his newest instructions.

~

Ianite knew her brothers had problems. She had seen the petty squabbles they initiated, how they tirelessly found new ways to fuck each other over. But she had long since deemed significant others off bounds. Of the few times she stepped in to keep the city intact, the bloodiest was by far the one time one of their lovers was involved. It had been Miante’s second vampire partner, Jessica. 

Though Ianite was never particularly fond of her, the lust for power in her eyes always present, the Western Lord was enthralled by her. Her beauty, her grace, her easy manipulation, it was nothing in the face of battle. As she foolishly charged Dianite, confident in her ability to take him, she was cut through like paper. Her body had hit the floor in two parts, the upper portion of her body, missing parts of her arms, and the rest of it, with two stretched out hands flopped to the ground uselessly.

She had barely been able to end Mianite’s rage as he tore at their brother, one of the closest times Dia had come to losing more than the fight. After that, she instilled one of her first rules: Do not attack each other’s lovers. So, when she heard the deafening screeches ringing through the city, she did not immediately assume Tom had been assaulted. As a coppery smell found its way into her nest, she had not figured out that Dianite was forced to take the one action he feared would lose him his lover. When she approached her window to see the signs of death far off into the West, she failed to notice the darkness crawling into the East.

When Antony Grager, Dianite’s emergency correspondent for contacting the other siblings, apparated before her, she had been prepared for terrible news, not the worst. She was desperate to believe Mianite wouldn’t go to such measures, especially when the two hadn’t been at odds in the last month. Tom was one of her favorites, of all of Dianite’s significant others. Though he always tried to be some sort of gentleman around her, he won her over by his goofiness and sheer force of will. At one point, he had convinced a startling amount of her following that he was a vampire capable of withstanding the sun’s rays without receiving terrible injury.

As she learned more about the situation, about what happened to Tom, she worried for him. Humans all reacted to turning differently, though more positively the more they wanted it. But at one point, either wanting it too much, or absolutely rejecting the idea, it breaks their mind, leaving them a psychotic shell of themselves. There was no way to know what frame of mind the human had been in, what frame of mind he was in now. Sending her thoughts to her spy, she tried to quell her anxieties. Dianite had asked her to locate Miante, and for Tom, she was willing to step out of her neutrality once more.

~

Darry Adam Ranger was a single father, working two jobs to raise his precious baby girl, Alexa. He worked the morning shift at a small corner side dinner called Sally’s Sandwiches, and the afternoon shift at West Side Bowling. His life was far from glamorous, but coming home to see his darling daughter’s face, bright, healthy, and happy, was the highlight of his day.

Today, however, he couldn’t shake the sense of dread within him. The regulars to the Saturday morning brunch did not show, a nice family of two elderly women and their darling grandson. Though his parents were moved out of the city, he always made time for them, to catch up. None of them showed. Even his unrealistically happy manager, Susan, was off her game today. Her chipper attitude was replaced by snapping commands and irritated scowls.

So, when the man made his way home for lunch break, he was not ready to see Mary, his lovely neighbor and babysitter, who refused to be paid, sitting anxiously at his steps. 

With panicked, she rushed over to him, prattling on about how, “There’s a demon inside! He snatched Alexa, and John, and locking them in. I can’t get into my house, or yours, and I don’t know if they’re alive.” 

Without a thought, he jammed his key into the lock, wrenching the door open.

“Alexa,” he called out, “Alexa!” Maneuvering around the house, he finally came face to face with the door leading to her room. 

He shoved it open, prepared to attack whoever threatened his baby girl, when all he saw was her, sitting innocently on the floor. Sighing with relief, he bends down to pick her up, just about to yell back to Mary that Alexa is safe, but John wasn’t there, when he was thrown back. Eyes wide, he scrambled up to see an inky blackness pouring from his girl, a wail erupting from the merged figures. Faster than he could blink, it launches forward, clawing at his face and pushing down his mouth. As it starts to pour around his eyes, he blacks out. Minutes later, as his eyes are opened once more, it is not Darry Ranger who returns to consciousness.


	4. Chapter 3

Tom felt like a new person. He could move like wind, strangely swift and fluid. Every time he would rise from sitting, or laying down, or just go up stairs, he would feel like he was floating. Of course, he would push harder than necessary, making his movements awkward and ungraceful, arms flailing as he tried to keep his balance. Dianite had caught him many times before convincing him to go a little slower. (And by a little, he literally took the smallest amount of effort off, getting himself up without careening all the way over).

Once Tom learned how to move, somewhat, he was intent on checking out what his new senses picked up on. His first problem, however, was that he hated being away from Dianite. Even a few feet unnerved him. As much as he loved the man, he was just so curious about his new abilities. 

Much to Dia’s amusement, he would steel himself before leaving the Lord to his work in the living room, getting through as much as he could before he had to go back. Once he finally returned to the bedroom, a vague stir settling in his gut as he remembered all their good time there, he found himself… content. He wandered the room, before plopping face first on the bed. 

Somehow, this worked for him. The longing for Dia didn’t hurt as much here.

For a moment, he pondered this, trying to figure out why. Then he realized it was the smell. Turning to his side, he snuggled into Dianite’s pillow. Laying there, he slowly came upon an idea. He sat up, pillow tucked under his chin, a sent a glance to the closet. Without falling over this time, he made his way over to it, throwing the doors open with care. Immediately making his way towards the back, he skipped all of his clothes, looking for one thing. He let out a noise of triumph when he found it.

Tossing the pillow carelessly on the bed, he slipped on the oversized sweatshirt. He had bought it way back for his lover, appalled when he had seen mostly formal jackets in the man’s wardrobe. Though he didn’t wear it outside often, it was greatly pleasing to see him wear it around the house. (According to Dia, it didn’t suit his image to wear it near the following, and they would think they could slack with their attire as well. Of course, he hardly bats an eye when he sees his children wearing PJs, let alone sweatshirts).

Rolling up the sleeves, as he was dwarfed in the large amount of fabric, he strut from the room. Though he couldn’t resist curling back up with Dia for a moment, he already felt a tremendous difference when walking without him. As he pulled himself away once more, he was ready to go downstairs.

Instead of taking the elevator, as the noise would alert his lover, he quietly opened the stair doors. They were tucked away into the side of the building, the main transportation being a number of elevators scattered among the floors. 

He crept down the steps until he reached the next floor, taking less care opening this one. They were used to the odd person using them. (To this day, one Tae Smith refused to use the elevator. Every day, he climbed 49 sets of stairs to go to work. At some point, they gave him his own little room to sleep whenever he was too tired to go back down). The sight that greeted him almost made him laugh.

It was only a few hours after sunset, and so many of them looked like zombies. The office itself was still a mess, (he could vaguely remember it being trashed last time he was there), and a handful of people halfheartedly tried to fix it. 

(“We should get rid of these wretched dividers and set up a new office plan. It’ll be cooler, and there can be mini fridges!” “Maria, I swear, that won’t fly with management.” “Not unless we get Furia on board!” Cue eye roll). 

When a hand settled on his shoulder Tom had to fight a girly shriek.

“Even now, you are so easy to sneak up on,” came a teasing voice of none other than Nadeshot (who preferred Nade over his actual name, Matt). 

With a playful shove, Tom stuck his tongue out. “Fucking hell, you know you are stupidly quiet. Fucking vampires.” 

Nade wrapped an arm across the younger’s shoulders, frowning. 

“I heard you’re a fucking vampire too. It’s a shame it happened the way it did,” he muttered, solemn for a moment. 

He perked up a little as an idea came to mind, “Oh man, we have to see if you can walk in the daytime without dying! It’d be a shame to lose my daytime buddy.”

Tom and Nade had met in a very set up fashion, though the newer fledgling had not known at the time. Both were online gamers, who shared an interest in many games. They first met each other at a tournament, though they didn’t end up facing off. (Tom came in around 4th ~5th , Nade got 2nd). After meeting there, they had exchanged numbers and done a couple videos together. They made fast friends, and Nade never questioned Tom’s weird hours, as his were just as strange.

Tom later found out he was a vampire by accident, after they pulled an all nighter. He had groggily rummaged through his fridge for an energy drink, only to discover bottles of blood. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, and just grabbed the damn Monster that he couldn’t open for ten minutes. 

Later, Nade admitted to being tasked by Dianite to keep Tom out of trouble during the day. (He had complained later that he didn’t need a babysitter, to which Dia’s response was, “Like you’d stop hanging out with him. Besides, you love it when I pamper you,” He wasn’t wrong). According to the vampire, instead of the typical pyrokinesis, he had it reverse almost: He could basically reject all forms of fire and heat. Someone tries to set him on fire? He could put it out with a thought. This made it possible for him to walk in the daylight with little consequence.

But now Tom was a vampire, and depending on how strong he was, he would likely burn in the sun’s rays. (He wasn’t sure how he’d explain to his followers why he doesn’t go out during the day anymore). 

“I could always slather up in sunscreen and walk around with a parasol like those old ladies with delicate skin.” Tom snickered at the thought, just at how ridiculous he’s look.

Sliding his arm off of Tom, Nade gestured to the bustling group of vampires, “As you can see, most of us are hunting down McBitchface who tried to kill you. The rest are trying to clean up where Dia kind of… destroyed the office. But don’t worry, lots of them are pissed that Mr. Let Me Fuck You Over tried to kill you. They’re more than happy to hunt down his bitchass.” 

Raising an eyebrow, Tom turned to Nade. “And the rest?” 

With a shrug he replied, “Those are the ones who didn’t like you in the first place.”

“Eh,” he added, “Fuck them.” 

The two wandered farther into the room, Tom ducking his nose back into the sweatshirt he wore. 

Nade noticed with a smirk, lightly teasing, “The two of you are such love birds. When I was turned, it took me barely an hour to be alright on my own. You’d been in there for almost an entire 24 hours.” The shorter of the two glared up at his friend, defiantly snuggling further into the shirt.

From the mostly intact corner, Furia sent a quick glance at them. Doing a double take, he prattled off some instructions to his crew before making his way over. 

“Look who crawled back from the grave. And got away from Dianite.” The Advisor checked Tom out for a second. “Though I see you would rather be up there with him still. Just as you should be.” 

Rolling his eyes, the fledgling petulantly mumbled, “I was super fucking bored. He’s busy working, and I already got him off of it for a…... rather long time last night.” By the snort Furia gave, he had a feeling the man knew well before he mentioned it.

“Though our Lord is very capable of cutting off his emotions during his leisure time, there are other ways to figure out what he’s up to,” he injected, “Especially when a certain someone is quite vocal.” 

The other two laughed at his embarrassed shout and blush. “You know what. Fuck both of you. You’re the worst.” 

Unable to hold back a snicker, Nade added, “Well, it would seem Dianite already did a good job of that. Wouldn’t want to get in the way of your fun.” 

Tom marched away with a disgruntled noise, deciding to go find Enrique and convince him to make him some food. The man could make a mean omelet.

~

Tucker Boner was not at all scared. Not only had his Lord practically cut off their Sire bond months ago, leaving the somewhat new fledgling panicky, he couldn’t find the rest of the following. He had briefly spoken to Sonja over the phone, but she was clearly on the move and rushed. She had ended the call minutes after he made it. So no, he was not feeling left in the dark, scrambling for his balance among the other newer fledglings. They were all fine, and he would do his best to take care of him.

Now if only Marco and Hannah would stop calling him out on it. He wasn’t scared, they were fine, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to them dammit. Only John was content to believe him. The other three were starting to catch on. 

Of their makeshift group, and he and Hannah were even remotely old. 94 and 115 respectively, they were left pulling at straws. And now the fucking Eastern vampires were looking for them.

He was told by a Northern friend that Mianite had done something terrible. He didn’t know what, or why, or even fucking when. But it was enough for the Eastern Lord Dianite to start a full-on manhunt for anyone in the Mianite following, intent on taking revenge on his brother. And guess who fell in that fucking category.

They had the small advantage of being rather young vampires, the youngest being a measly 35, who looks like 22. But that by no means meant that they were unknown. He could list many Easterners that knew he was of the Mianite following. They were closer to his age, but they existed nonetheless. And if they knew, any of the ones actively hunting for Mianite knew.

Now he was on the phone once more, calling the one person he was certain could help him: Jordan. Where his other friends were part of the following or human, Jordan was a Northerner. He had told him what happened, he had consoled him and told him to find a safe place. And now, he was hoping he could help him not flip his shit. 

“Tucker? What’s wrong?” He was a little surprised he knew Tucker was on edge, but then remembered their last call ended with “you’re in danger, hide”.

“Oh, well,” Tucker trailed off, not sure what to say. 

Of course, the older vampire did, “You’re freaking out, aren’t you?” 

He let out a high-pitched laugh, the strain of barely keeping it together evident in his voice, “Oh, just a little…. Just a little fucking bit, cause holy shit there is entire group of Dianitees hunted down our asses!”

“Tucker,” the other man soothed, maintaining a calm tone, “We’ll work it out. Your group doesn’t have the information they want. If I have to, I will do my best to make sure they don’t take their anger out on you. You guys are just kids, still trying to figure out the best way to live. If you would like, I could see about getting you set up in the North? I doubt Ianite would let any man hunts trapeze through her territory.”

Taking a few steadying breaths, the man mumbled, “That’d…. that would be great. I’ll just have to convince them to try moving during the day. Sunrise would be best. If you don’t mind me asking, what, exactly, happened?” 

Jordan was silent for a moment, and he wondered if he overstepped a line. “Remember your old roommate, from when you couldn’t pay rent on your own,” the older man asked hesitantly, a strange note in his voice. 

“Tom? Yeah, I still have his number. We talk sometimes still. He loved hanging out with us, even though he didn’t know we were vampires.” Tucker wasn’t sure he liked where this was going, not sure where it was going in the first place. 

“Well, he’s Dianite’s lover. And,” Jordan said in a rush, not giving the shocked man time to respond, “Mianite tried to kill him.”

“What the Fuck?”

~

Dianite felt like something was… off. After hours of searching the streets of the West, temporarily rendering himself omnipotent, he was starting to tire from it. Scouring the other side yielded few results, only catching a few groups of scared, abandoned fledglings. They likely would not know where their Sire was, and he made a mental note to tell his followers to ignore them.

But back to the present, the area around him was strangely different. The night had progressed seemingly fast, and the sky was beginning to brighten. The air held a stale edge, as though it had been sitting for awhile. Which was weird, as last he had noticed, Tom was antsy and wandering around at a whim.

So where was his beloved? A quick listen in to the apartment showed no telltale signs of another being present. And with how clingy Tom was being, he doubted he would be able to leave his side terribly soon, and that was if the Lord even let him. So where the fuck was Tom?

The faint scent he left behind was mostly mixed about the room, though it sort of trailed out towards the exit. He wandered over, following it as it made its way to the stairs. That sneaky little child. With a huff, he chose to descend the stairs, stepping out at the next floor. 

The room looked considerably better from when he had last been there. An actual work station had been set up, the most intact computers decorating divider less tables, and a handful of people sat there doing their work. The rest of the floor held both neatly sorted piles and a basic setup for the unscathed items.

Furia caught his eye from where he himself was scouring over something on his monitor. Rolling his eyes at the Lord’s mildly panicked expression (he looked like he was about to start another war), he mouthed ‘kitchen’. Leaving after a quick thankful nod at Furia, Dianite made his way to the elevator. Due to the nature of the building, both an office space and a living space, they had set up two communal kitchens, with full-time chefs. In all likelihood, Tom had made for the first one.

When he made his way into the partially full room, he spotted his lover rather fast. It wasn’t hard, seeing as he was sitting next to Nade (so very surprising), but also as he was surrounded by many other vampires. It was a sort of tradition to make the newest fledgling(s) feel as welcome as possible, and getting to know them and making them comfortable was at the top of that list. (Though many of the following already knew Tom, from when he helped new fledglings adjust when they were attached to Dia, or from simply being around so much, even when Dianite wasn’t there).

He sat back for a minute, and watched.

“Oh my god Tom! Now we can go late night hunting like you said you would when you lost that bet!” A older girl ruffled his hair, receiving a complaint about potato hair. 

“Man, you always look like a potato. I would know. I lived in Ireland during the Potato famine,” one of the other vampires stated. 

Another injected, “Isn’t that when, I don’t know, there weren’t really potatoes around? You know, the general lack of them causing the famine? How would you being there make you know better what a potato looks like?” 

Affronted, the first retorted, “We dreamed of them. Our fantasies included potato men and women, calling to us, beckoning closer to our deaths.” 

“…. What the actual fuck.” Tom leveled a glare at the two, “I don’t look like a fucking potato! My hair is just potato-y.” 

A younger male lightly teased, “A cute pouty potato perhaps. Dia is lucky, he has the best potato of the bunch.” Tom spouted more objections to being a potato, and the Lord felt like this was a good spot to intervene.

Softly teleporting behind him, he snuck his arms around his shoulders. “You’re definitely the best potato I could ask for.” 

His beloved sent a mock look of betrayal to the Lord, as the group around his laughed. 

The youngest looking one, a thousands of years old vampire, said in a straight laced voice, “Maybe you should seed him so you can have potato children.” There was a beat of silence as everyone just looked at them. Then, as Tom’s face reddened and he dropped his head in his hands, they all started cackling, a sly smirk settling on the vampire’s face.

Leaning down to nibble at Tom’s ear, he not so quietly whispered to him, “Sounds like we have some plans for later.” 

All he received in return was a dying groan, the normally outgoing man reduced to silent embarrassment. Nade slid out of his seat as Dianite moved to pick Tom up bridal style, ready to carry the poor princess to safety. With a merry wave, he left the room, catching a few telling snickers on the way out.


	5. Chapter 5

Tom was walking on thin ice. Except this situation held almost the opposite situation. He lurked in the shadowed alleyway of an apartment complex, huddled deep into his sweatshirt. (It was Dia’s really, but he had claimed it now). After a lovely experience in the bedroom, Tom stayed awake long enough to smuggle himself out of the building. How no one saw him was a mystery, but he wasn’t going to waste the gift.

As he exited the alley, he shied away from the sunlight. Though he was still rather cold, he knew that longer exposure to sunlight could kill him. Now he’d be pale for the rest of his life. Fuck. Many early morning risers, those ungodly people who take morning jogs or love to see the sunrise gave him strange looks. Honestly, he felt the same about them. 

But in all fairness, he was some twenty-something year old, buried in an oversized hoodie in rather nice April weather, (somehow not raining), faded black sweatpants, and cringing at the light. He might as well be some college kid hungover, walking home from a party. Except it was Tuesday, and he was walking in the opposite direction of the nearest college.

Really, he shouldn’t be out here. Not only had Mianite tried (? He technically died when becoming a vampire… he’d ask Dia later) to kill him, the sun could actually kill him, and who knows what else might want him dead. And he was super fucking tired, even after doing nothing for two days. But he needed to see his sister, his only family in the city. Either she was going to kill him if he never checked up on her, (they made an agreement to meet every Monday for lunch, because Mondays are horrible. For obvious reasons, he was absent), or his gaming community would for not uploading anything.

Already, he could feel the pinpricks of sunlight burning through his clothes. With a low hiss, he ducked inside the nearest shop, a simple florist. The first thing that hit him was the overpowering smell of flowers, and then the meek air conditioning. The shop attendant, likely just the cashier with the manager in the back, gave a friendly greeting, but sounded as happy to be awake as he was. The clock above their head read 7:48.

Biting back a groan, faintly longing for the coffee the attendant had with them, he idly checked out the flowers. Moving away from the window, he took the time to cool off, hopefully not too charred already.

“Anything I can help you with,” the cashier queried half-heartedly, but with an affable smile. 

Deciding to humor him, the vampire pointed to a collection of flowers. “What meaning do these have?”

According to the labels, he was looking at the red petals of Amaryllis, Aster, and Carnations. 

“Ah, the Carnations symbolize pride and admiration, as the red variety. The Amaryllis, the more common kind, symbolizes splendid beauty. And the Aster means, um, patience. And elegance too.” The clerk shrugged, his morning haze numbing his memory.

Tom wasn’t really that interested, but they were red, and red was Dianite’s color, so why not. 

He gave a nod to the man behind the counter, “Maybe I’ll come back and get some.” He waved and walked out the store.

Even back out on the street he could smell the flowers. He wondered if he should have picked some up for Alice, as an apology, but she wasn’t really the flower type. Distractedly, he thought of how his friends would take his hours becoming even shittier. It used to be some butchering of going from 2pm to 4am, or something worse. Now he’d just sleep later, or so it seems to be, with how long Dia likes to sleep. And damn, thinking about sleep really made him want to sleep.

His thoughts were interrupted by a hand on his shoulder. Whipping his head to the side, he came face to face with an older lady.

“So sorry to bother you, young man,” she began with a hoarse voice, “But would you mind helping me bring these to my home?” 

Quickly sweeping his eyes over the area, he noticed he had wandered towards the mall, a quaint little collection of buildings snuggled in the middle of a residential area. It was one of the reasons Alice chose to live in this area, the ‘instant access to cool things’.

While there wasn’t many people nearby, there was enough to notice the exchange, and he knew what they expected. 

Holding back a sigh, he gave a good-natured response of, “Sure, ma’am,” and proceeded to pull a couple of bags from the lady’s cart. (He hadn’t even noticed that, but they were rather small, only from a small grocery store). Hobbling forward, a hand stuck to her right hip, she led him towards her townhouse.

The going was slow, but it gave him time to admire himself in the reflection of the windows they passed. Or rather, the fucking lack of reflection. It was strange to look at. There were no mirrors or overly reflective surfaces back at Dia’s place, so he never noticed that, while vampires don’t show up in mirrors, their clothes do. So, looking back at him was a hoodie and sweatpants somehow carrying bags. 

But that wasn’t the worst part. He couldn’t see his hair or face. For all he knew, he looked like absolute shit. Potato-y hair, bloodshot eyes, bags, acne spree, who knows what he fucking looked like. At least whatever it was, the old lady wasn’t scared.

He had to cheat a stop with his increased speed (that still gave him trouble), as the lady stopped suddenly. She was smiling back at him, apparently not having noticed that he was staring at his unnatural reflection. Hastily, he turned away from the window, throwing her a sheepish smile. 

“We’re here dear. Oh, do come in, and I can get you some treats as a reward,” she chirped at him, already up the steps and unlocking the door. Gesturing inside, she waddled in.

Hesitantly, he stood in the doorway. 

“I don’t think I have the time, I’ll just-” Tom was cut off by his ankles being yanked out from under him. Head slamming against the concrete, he only had time to let out a yelp as the sunlight clawed at his exposed face before he was getting dragged inside. Once he was all the way in the door slammed shut with a harsh shudder. The fledgling desperately clawed at the floor around him, leaving faint scratch marks behind.

The thing on his ankles slid up his legs, a vice like grip holding on to him. Sparing a glance down all he saw was shadowy tendrils, coming from the floor, from the dark corners of the rooms he passed, even from the feet of the old lady. Belatedly, he realized this was a fucking trap. And something in him responded with a wave of force.

Letting out a deep growl, he sunk his claws into the floorboards, resisting the pull. With a yank, he freed one leg, the tendril tightening on the other. 

“Don’t struggle fledgling,” the demented old lady hissed, “You’ll love the makeover I’ll give you. It’ll be your little reward for helping me and being such a good boy.” Well fuck that, he snarled viciously kicking at the thing wrapping around his leg until it conceded and let go.

Scrambling to his feet, he made an aborted motion towards the front door. The entire exit was swamped in inky blackness.

“Now, now, bad boys don’t get rewards dearie.” The creature let out a howl as Tom charged her, ripping through her in an attempt to make for the kitchen window. Bashing the glass in, he dove through the opening, an enraged shriek following his exit. But fuck her if he was looking back now.

Now crammed in the backway between two sets of townhouses, he made a mad dash for the sunlight road on the other side. He picked up his pace as he heard some sort of airy sound coming from behind him, the pitch of a slow leak in a tire. He didn’t want to know what the fuck it was, why it was, or how close it was. Cringing only a little, he barreled into the bright rays, taking off down the sidewalk at a commendable pace, for a human.

He didn’t stop until he was safely in the middle of a sunny park. Settling in the shade of some well-placed trees, he surveyed his surroundings. 

“Shitty McFuck,” he groaned, letting his head fall back onto the bark. 

It throbbed without mercy, the brightness around him not helping. He vaguely knew where he was, but the longer he looked at it, the more it felt… off. Where normally, if this was Alice’s neighborhood, there would be people out, maybe some kids skipping school in the park, adults dragging themselves to work, or even some goddamn squirrels running amok, there was almost nothing. Beyond that one group of joggers, (insane people, who knows what’s wrong with the,), no one was out.

Curling in on himself, he tried to hype himself back up. He’d get to Alice, his boss ass bitch of a sister. His sister, living in this neighborhood. That was acting sketchy, with crazy old ladies with demon powers. Shit, shit, shit. Groaning, he squeezed his eyes shut. He was super fucking tired, sore, his head hurt like shit, and Alice could be in danger.

An ache had begun to settle in the back of his throat. Irritably opening his eyes, he glanced back over at the moving group of humans. More than ever before, he felt the urge to attack them. Now, it wasn’t just general distaste for their lifestyle. There was a crushing need to get something from them. Burying himself back into his hoodie, he groaned miserably. He was fucking thirsty. (If only there were better people around than the stupid fucking health nuts).


	6. Chapter 6

There was a heartbeat approaching. He could feel each step that brought it closer, could feel whisper of breath leaving their throat. They cast a shadow over the curled figure of Tom, huddled against a large tree. A hesitant hand reached out to him. They gasped, startled, as he snatched their wrist before contact was made. Looking up with bloodshot eyes, he locked his gaze onto a shorter woman, all dark skin and hair.

“Are you alright,” she asked, hand over her heart, trying to calm herself, “You’ve been out here for hours.” 

Releasing a breath, Tom let go of her hand, silently nodding, swallowing around a dry throat. It hurt so much. She was so very close to him. But her trusting mocha eyes, the genuine concern within them, he couldn’t do it.

She was not buying his response. 

“Look, I know what someone on drugs looks like. It’s okay, I’ve too many friends trying to recover from them to judge you.” With a slow hand, she rubbed down his back is calming circles. Carefully, she hoisted him up, kind enough to let him hunch away from the noon sun.

Their pace was slow, but she was determined to help him. As she drug him into a diner, one rather full with the lunch rush. They were sat at a small table, far enough inside to be free of the sunlight. 

“I don’t have any money you know.” Tom slumped forward onto the table. Futilely trying to block out the sound of so many humans, their hearts beating in separate rhythms.

She spared him no response before ordering him a cup of coffee and herself a basket of fries. 

“It’s okay. Addiction can cause all sorts of problems. I’ll pay today.” Wiggling to peer up at her, he indignantly mumbled, “I’m not on drugs. It’s close, but more in favor of me being off medication of sorts.” A frown marred her features, as she thought this over.  
She didn’t speak back up until the food came, thanking the waiter. 

Picking up a fry, she commented, “Do you not have enough money for your medication? And it’s making you miserable and going through some sort of withdraw?” 

Lifting his head to take a sip of the coffee, nose wrinkling at the bitter taste, he mumbled in reply, “I have some at home. I just… overestimated how long I could go without it.” He grimaced as he picked up the cream that came with the cup and a packet of sugar, pouring a generous amount in.

At this point she graciously changed the conversation, “So are you in school right now? You look college age.” 

Deciding he had fixed his drink, Tom took a sip to gather his thoughts. “Not really no. I mean, I graduated, but I’ve considered going back as a grad student. I’m pretty focused on my YouTube account though, as dorky as that sounds.” 

He had to focus on something. Anything that wasn’t the blood flowing through the veins of the people surrounding him. Despite the rather hot nature of his drink, the tip of his tongue still tingling, he took another gulp.

His companion let out a laugh at his statement, brightly telling him, “My older sister is big into online gaming! She has an upstarting YouTube account focused on multiplayer games.” 

This led to a conversation about what her sister’s channel was, what his channel was, and their favorite games. (Though she, her name being Anne, was more into programming games than playing them. She actually designed some of the games her sister played as a beta tester for).  
He was relaxing, snagging some of her fries, even letting a few smiles break free. But he couldn’t miss the way her heart beat in a steady rhythm, the way her pulse points stood out to him, how much he was craving. She wasn’t going to be his next target, but he needed someone. 

And it had to be soon.

~

There was something missing in the room. It was a comfortable temperature, the light was effectively blocked out, the pillows and sheets were pleasantly clean. But something wasn’t right. He snuggled closer to his love… only to feel something much squishier in his grip. Eyes opening into slits, he found Tom’s pillow in his grasp, with the fledgling nowhere to be found.

He rose with a growl, the possessive note stemming from his need to be close to his beloved after engaging in such passionate activities. Shaking it off, he quickly searched for some clothes, sending a glare at the ribbon of light peeking from behind the blackout curtains. His love should be in bed still, resting and snuggled up against him.

Trailing towards the living room with a pout, he found it empty of his other, as were the rest of the rooms as he searched. This did not sit well with him at all. He sighed, making his way to the elevator. Tom was due for another feeding, his semi-daily hunger being pretty predictable. On one hand, if he had gone out to hunt, he was rather proud that his adorable little fledgling was taking initiative. On the other, it was fucking daylight outside.

~

“This is great, and I’m feeling much better now, but I really need to go meet up with my sister. She’s been expecting me for a while now,” Tom interject into Anne’s rant about how stupid people keep trying to break her games, when she does extensive bug checks.

Her eyebrows shot up, a taken aback look gracing her face. “You have a sister waiting for you, and you didn’t tell me? Stay here, I’ll pay the bill and we’ll go. I have to make sure you are actually taking care of yourself.” She smoothly grabbed her wallet and stood, making her way to the waiter, engaging in polite conversation. 

After a few minutes, she came back, fishing out some money for a tip. “Let’s go Tommy boy.”

Pulling him out of the crowded restaurant, she gestured for him to lead the way. Surveying the area, he started off in the direction he thought would get him to the main street she lived off of. On the way, he was interrogated about his sister, older or younger, how well they got along, if she had been waiting long. Though she may have not noticed it, the streets grew quieter, more… grey. As though the very color had started to seep from it. It was eerie, seeing such a lively neighborhood so defeated looking.

The real struggle, however, was avoiding sunlight and reflective surfaces. What would Anne say if she knew he was a creature of stories? He wasn’t banking on her opinion, but having people know, maybe even Alice knowing. That brought a shiver to his spine.

But when they finally reached the street Alice lived on, the houses here separated into individual units, he couldn’t help the dread filling his stomach. Everything felt deathly, even the sky seemed to fall flat, the sun not quite reaching it here. And beyond his faint heart beat and his companion’s, the people here felt distant in a way that had nothing to do with how far they were. He picked up the pace, rushing towards Alice’s home. Anne seemed to finally catch on to the wrongness of the street, pausing her commentary to send an alarmed glance around the area.

Reaching the front door, he composed himself to knock on the door in a less hurried fashion. That died when he received no response, heard no one move, even with his strange, enhanced hearing (he still wasn’t quite used to it). 

“Alice,” he called out, knocking on the door with more fervor. Still, he received no greeting, no sign of being heard.

He fished his key from the pocket of his pants, he had grabbed it in case she wasn’t home, he roughly shoved it into the lock, opening the door when he heard the bolt turn. Grabbing the key, he stepped inside the hushed house. 

“Alice?” He ventured further inside, Anne following him after closing the door. Making him way towards the heartbeat he heard, he wondered where her fiancé was, or if the person inside was the fiancé.

She wasn’t looking well. The room they found her in was her sunroom, the windows finding little light to let in. Curled up in a round, cushy chair, she looked… tired. Beyond the bags pilling under her eyes, the whites holding a smoky quality, and her face was blank. He approached her slowly. 

“Allie?” Even this close, she didn’t seem to hear him. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Alice finally turned towards him.

With a slow blink, she finally seemed to connect back to reality. “Oh, hi Tom. Have you been here long? I ought to get some tea started, but I’m a little tired.” 

Now this was especially strange. Alice was either bone deep exhausted or ready to kick ass. There was no in between, and definitely no ‘a little tired’. Biting back his own worries and problems, he focused on her.

Looking into her eyes, he didn’t see his sister. There was something missing, something that was part of her, just gone. Her mannerisms seemed almost lost, as though she didn’t know if what she was doing was right, like she was guessing how to act. It unnerved him. To see someone he grew up with act so different, as though someone took part of them away. Honestly, it scared him, and he thinks Anne was starting to notice.

“Tom,” she turned to him, chocolate eyes keeping him centered, “Why don’t you go make some tea for us? I’ll keep this lovely lady company.” 

He was ashamed by how fast he took the excuse to leave. He sullenly started heating some water in a kettle, staring through it. Just… he couldn’t stand the thought of Alice… not being Alice. But, even as he tried to think of ways to help her, to see what happened, he was starting to feel sick.

The smell of the food around him made his stomach churn. His throat was now painfully dry, and his head was starting to ache. And now, more than ever, he was aware of the heartbeats in the other room. Struggling to pay attention to anything but the easy targets in the other room, he almost missed the water reaching a boil. Pulling out two cups, he wasn’t sure he could stomach tea right now, he placed a teabag into the water, letting it bob and the water soak in the flavor.

Finally getting himself to return to the room, he was alarmed to see Anne having a hard time focusing, her running commentary starting to experience pauses at random. 

Handing her and Alice their cups, he politely tried to tell her, “You should head home soon, I’m sure someone is missing you right about now.” Maybe it was the strange effect lingering in the air, or his worry seeping into his face, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she stayed just a little longer, finishing her tea and adding some more halting conversation.

Once she left the house, he turned to Alice, “I’ll be back in a little while, promise. Then we can see what’s wrong with you.” 

With that he swept out of the room, waiting long enough to trail behind Anne unseen. Though they had just met, he wanted to see she got home safe. And it was much easier not to feel the killer rays when not pretending to be normal.

Often times, she seemed to stop confused, not sure which way she was going. Anytime she looked about to head the wrong way, he threw something to direct her attention the other way. The going was slow, but eventually she met up with someone she knew, coming back into herself a little bit.

He took that as his chance to find relief from the sun, and finally see it his dying need.

~

Dianite wasn’t at all amused with traveling through cheerily lit streets full of happy, easygoing humans. I just want my damn adorable little love back. He was dressed in a trench coat, an unassuming beige, with the collar pulled up, and a long-brimmed fedora, which didn’t help enough against the sun. But he was on a damn mission.

It didn’t help that Tom seemingly decided to walk all over the goddamn city, but when he made him way through a particularly… dead part, he grew worried. He knew what happened here. The Shadows. The tell-tale signs of corruption setting in, so close to the descriptions handed to him by the Modesteps. It was unnerving.

And when he followed Tom’s fading scent trail to some house, that was clearly infested with shadow constructs, he almost panicked. But he could vaguely feel Tom was beyond the house, not in it, so he skipped over it, taking note of the infested neighborhood. He needed to remove the problem before it got uncontrollable.

For now, he ventured into a safer area, he felt relief when the old trail was crossed by a newer one. Swiveling, he took a moment to determine which way he went, before following behind. It wasn’t long at all before he spotted a rather familiar sweatshirt moving through the natural shade. 

Picking up his pace, he caught the fledgling’s arm, pulling him close. “Seriously beloved, couldn’t wait to go out until I could go with you?”

Though unhappy with his sudden disappearance, he was delighted by the way Tom relaxed back into him. But he could feel something was off with him. Turning the younger vampire around, he was met with bloodshot eyes and almost white skin. 

Dragging him off into an alleyway, deep into the darkness, he whispered lowly, “You haven’t fed yet have you?” 

Shaking his head, he pulled his collar down. “You should know better,” he lightly chastised, drawing him closer, “Take your fill, and then we’ll have to talk. I believe you need to be punished for your reckless behavior.”

Tom, unnaturally quiet, nosed at the crook of his neck, lapping at a patch of skin. With expected eagerness, he sunk his fangs in, hastily sucking in the Lord’s blood. Now that the fledgling was firmly attached, he shuddered at the sensation of the blood being pulled from his body, a wave of pleasure moving along with it. 

Sliding them down the wall, he kept Tom carefully curled in his lap, straddling his thighs. Each long sip sent spikes of arousal through him, but he was more concerned with how much the fledgling was drinking. How long had he been struggling against the urge?

His thoughts were broken when Tom pulled back, hot breath panting against the wounds. With a sigh, one full of contentment and relief, he sank against the Lord. Lying there for a moment, he licked at the wound, taking in any last drops welling there. 

When he stopped, Diante was about to speak, but Tom beat him to it. “Something is wrong with Alice.”


	7. Chapter 6

The sun was creeping further into the alley, its path arcing to see into it. But Dianite couldn’t bring himself to move. His arms were cradling his young lover, the anxious look on his face complemented by the subtle shaking of his form. He wanted so badly to right the wrongs for him, to do anything to make him feel better. But all he could offer now was his comfort, arms wrapped around him and fingers threading through his hair. It was aggravating.

He contemplated trying a series of short ‘jumps’, (really, it was teleportation, but it was too wimpy to be considered such. But the very ability to move oneself in any way was beyond impressive.), to get them away from the sunlight and into the security of their home. But he wasn’t sure how well the nearby humans would take that. Two people just appearing from thin air.

Burying his face in Tom’s hair, he sighed. “You know we can’t stay here.” His lover pulled his head away with a grimace. 

“Well,” he started, eyes drifting to the side, “I can’t just let Alice stay like that.” 

His gaze hardened, jaw set. “She needs help.” Locking eyes with the god he fell into a whisper, “But I don’t know how to help her.”

The Lord set his head back against the wall. Tom couldn’t stay out here, especially if he had been through Shadow territory. If he was connecting the dots correctly, Alice has been corrupted. And if she was corrupted, Tom spending too much time near her could lead to harsh consequences. As much as he knew Tom loved his sister, he was afraid he would have to let her go sometime. Dianite wasn’t sure he wanted to see that happen so soon.

Setting a soft kiss on his forehead, willing the wrinkles forming there away, he tried to send a sense of calm to the fledgling. By the begrudging way his shoulders relaxed, it seemed to have worked to some degree.

“How about this,” Dianite mumbled against his skin, “We’ll go home and sleep off the rest of this wretched day. Then when it comes time to rise once more, we’ll look into this disease filtering through the area. I’ll try my best to find the best way to cure it, even though our resources are limited. And you, you will do your best to stay in the building, preferably near me. But,” he broke off with a sigh, “If you really can’t stop your free spirit from wandering once more, please just take someone with you? If I’m not terribly caught up in work, I’d be more than happy to go with you.”

Tom stared up at his love, going slightly cross-eyed. “How do you know it’s a disease?” 

The fledgling himself had felt little effect of the strange essence that seemed to float in the air over there. He had assumed the very ground had become tainted, and that was pulling and twisting the people within it. But could it be a disease spreading? 

Dianite frowned for a moment, moving back to see his beloved clearer, “I don’t. Most of what I know comes from the information provided by our lookouts. However, it is worrisome that they didn’t know that this was coming here, and that they haven’t reported in almost a week.” 

Biting his lip, he pondered what could have happened to them. Tony and Josh were rather capable, but who knows what the Shadows could have pulled on them? They did report some figures being more intelligent than others.

Looking down at the man in his arms, he resolutely decided one thing: The Shadows were not going to touch his beloved. Standing up, he began to drag his lover home.

~

He was not panicking. Oh no. Tucker was very calm, the textbook definition of it. Sure, maybe they had fucked up their schedule a bit, and it was later in the day then they had planned. Maybe sunset was much closer than they could afford, but surely, they would have enough sunlight to creep through without problem? It wasn’t like there would be anyone headhunting a group of fledglings who were caught as unaware as they were?

Marco, on the other hand, was freaking the fuck out. Not that Tucker was getting more freaked out by it. No, no, no. Just because Marco was good at keeping it together, didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to have his breakdowns. And if they offset the rest of the group a little, it totally didn’t affect Tucker. Now if Hannah stopped asking him if he was okay, they could be well off right now, much closer to their destination than they were.

They were just going from west to north, a rather easy six miles. Sure, it was a bitch to walk on foot, especially with the sun tauntingly burning through their clothes. But it could be worse. They could be hunted down by angry Easterners, who were ready to avenge the bf of their Lord. Oh wait.

Tucker discreetly snuck a glance behind him, hoping the brim of his hat hid his eyes from his companions. Barely half a mile back, he had noticed steps almost mirroring theirs. It was strange to think about, but his enhanced hearing picked up on patterns rather well. (It wasn’t overly unique, but most fledglings couldn’t harness this until quite a number of years post change, the overwhelming sensation of their overpowered senses masking the ability). Though there wasn’t any particularly long pattern, the repeated motions caught his hearing. He hoped the others hadn’t noticed.

As it was, they had made it roughly four and a half miles. At five, Jordan promised that he would have people set to escort them the rest of the way. If his group could make the last bit of distance, they would be in the clear. But it was evident by the antsy movements he could vaguely pick up that they might not have that long. And as they approached a rather long strip of shade, he was proven right.

The only warning he received was the sudden rush of one set of footsteps, followed by the rest.   
He barely managed to hiss out, “Run!” before he was tackled to the ground. Hannah, already pulling a younger vampire away at a dead sprint spared a sorrowful glance at him before disappearing around the corner, the rest of their group following. Though he considered fighting his captors, a quick sweep around those still gathered around him made him just give in.

Only one had pursued his ragtag group, and he told each exactly where to go. They would be fine, so long as the one person running after them didn’t catch any. As for him? Lord have mercy.

~

Tom was trying his best. He had patiently snuggled up against Dia, adding what he could to his work. His love was researching this shitty corruption for him, though he was sure it had some benefit to his general worries, and he was determined to be a good little fledgling for him.

But even in his general comfort with Dia right there, was just so bored. Reading was a pain, as sometimes the letters would play tricks on him, deciding to be something different than they were, or his head just hurt with the amount of words he had to process. Who knew someone could make such lengthy reports. (Granted, he had seen Dia’s, and the Lord was definitely not one for them). He shifted with a little grumble.

Glancing over the mess of paper before them, Tom finally consented to his need to be doing something. Turning to peck Dia’s cheek, he slid out of his grip, not missing the pout the Lord sent his way. With a chuckle, he set about finding Nade.

It was well into the night, and he wanted to check out the city in his new night vision he heard vampires had. (He hoped that wasn’t some bogus legend, and actually a thing. It was hard to tell in the building). Many of the Dianite following loved to enthrall him with stories of amazing powers they had, from the various forms of pyrokinesis, to the super speed and strength (in comparison to humans), to some more individual ones, like being able to turn into smoke, or being able to see long distances. Those powers were random at best, downright impossible to tell what you would get.

And, well, he had promised Nade that they could check out whatever bullshit powers he got. First, they would try to see what kind of pyrokinesis he got. (It seemed inevitable for one of Dianite’s fledglings to get something relating to it, even if it was the opposite, like for Nade). Then, they could see if he got anything cool and special. (Tom made his friend promise to help get used to the weird enhanced senses and strength and shit, he was born human after all).

So when Tom walked into the more personalized office area, one meant for special ops and related people, Nade looked eyes with him immediately. The man threw him a smile, and gave a nod to his partners, who mostly rolled their eyes at him. 

Skipping over to Tom, he excitedly queried, “Are we going to test your powers now?” The fledgling nodded, reverently leading the way to elevator. Selecting one of the basement floors, they happily conversed through the ride.

“It would be so cool if you got the weird as fuck anti heat power I got. Then we could be daylighters together!” Nade was very set on the idea of not being alone in the sun. 

While it sounded cool, Tom decided the ability to set people on fire would be more fun. The two stepped out on the B08 floor, one designated for training whatever the fuck your powers were. Specifically, the floor for testing unstable powers. (For the most part, the only difference was extra padding and less expensive material. There once was a vampire who accidentally let out a sonic wave they didn’t know they had the ability for. Many things had to be replaced that day).

Striding into one of the empty rooms, Nade announced, “The most important question is can you make fire?” 

He picked up a block of wood from the corner stash, grunting as he dropped it a few feet in front of Tom. 

“So how I was told to do fire was to focus on making things hot. Well, it didn’t really work for me, because of obvious reasons, but I’ve heard it works for most people!” Stepping away from the target, her gestured to it. “Try it.”

With a frown, Tom stared intently at it, imagining it on fire. Nothing. Grumbling, he tried imagining it getting hotter, before sparking into flames. Nada. With an aggravated sigh, he focused on each fiber feeling heat, before crumbling to it, fire erupting from the weakened wood.   
This continued for about five minutes when Nade waved it off. “It’ll probably take some getting used to. I’m sure Dianite can explain it better.” If he was worried about his lack of progress, he didn’t show it.

Clapping his hands together, he continued, “We probably should go over the basic features of being a vampire, but that’s boring. Instead, we can search for your special thing!”

He was silent for a moment, before slowly telling him, “I guess the best way to think about it is this, let your mind be quiet. I know, that’s going to be hard. But let your mind be quiet and reach out. Go farther than your Sire bond, then any bond you feel with anyone. Feel for something just on the brink of your mind, something that you didn’t know was there. And, I don’t know, grab it I guess? Try to get a grip on it.”

Skeptically following Nade’s instructions, he tried to block out the sounds around him. He was painfully aware of their slow heartbeats, the unnatural rhythm. With a deep breath, he tried to focus beyond them. Though he was aware of more sound, he found himself feeling something else. Closing his eyes he focused on it. Faint thoughts filtered into his mind, and he understood what he reached, his Sire bond.

Rolling his shoulders, he lingered a moment before moving on, a small twinge of discomfort as he left the bond behind. For a while, all he could perceive was his immediate surroundings, though they seemed distant now. But then he brushed against something else. It gave off an unnatural, new sensation. And he grabbed it.

~

The world around her was broken, the lights and darks clashing horribly. She couldn’t remember when someone had last visited. It was hard to remember who even. Was it her fiancé, back from his business trip early? Or had it been her brother, concerned with how she missed out on their lunch? Someone had been here, but she couldn’t recall who. Weren’t there more than one the last time? Maybe.

Thinking too much hurt. The contrasting world around her gave her a headache, the sounds an eerie lullaby to her tired mind. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she was aware that this wasn’t a good thing. Sleeping now could prove fatal, but she was just… tired. The days had blurred together, and she didn’t think she had ate at all. Perhaps sleeping would be for the best.  
Someone was screaming at her to stop, stop, stop. Her eyes drooped. A shadow leaned over her. It stroked her cheek, a low chuckle sounding from it. 

“It’s okay, you can sleep. I know you're tired. It’ll be all better when you wake up later. You’ll feel better, promise.” The voice, a soothingly light tone, was so inviting, but the screaming was still there. Why wouldn’t it go away? The mystery voice, sounding of a woman, cooed at her. She let her eyes fall shut. A couple minutes wouldn’t hurt. How long would she really be out before she couldn’t help but get back up from hunger?

As she let herself fall into slumber, her heart wrenched at the sound of sobs, broken and desolate. They sounded so familiar, but why? Who was crying, why? She wanted to help, really, but how could she help in such a tired state? She vowed to help the crying person when she woke up. Hopefully they felt a little better by then. Hopefully, she would too.

Once she slipped off into dream world, she missed the shriek that fought to be heard by a persistent cackling from the figure. 

“Sleep tight,” it whispered, moving towards her, “You’ll need the energy for when I take you for a spin.”


	8. Chapter 7

Screams. Screaming. That's all he heard. It echoed in his head, shrill and unrelenting. More screams, the same screams. It hurt, pounded at his skull, crushing it, pushing in, pushing out. It was agony. 

There were hands on him, but they seemed to quake. They gripped him harder, shook harder, and he could almost feel his brain rattle in his abused skull. The held such intensity, he wondered what for. 

He tried to say something, to work his jaw into movement, but it was stuck. Already open. Struggling to close it, he found the wails dull as his jaw slowly fell closed. When his lips met, it turned to a rough vibration. Was he the one screaming?

A voice could be heard now, barely over the shrieking in his mind. It was familiar, a light in the darkness of screams and pain. Why was it so dark? His eyes are open, he swears. He blinks. Nothing changes. His vision is shrouded in black, a scream pushing against his throat.

What is wrong. Why can’t he see? Why won’t the screaming stop? 

A muffled cry can be heard, so close to him. Yet it seemed far. As though it were underwater. Or he was? It was strange, like he was being pulled under into something, yet he could breath fine. Feel… fine. His mind was being pulled. It must be. 

A whisper scratched at his ears, “What a treat this is, to have you here.”

It grated on his nerves, wracked through his body in an unpleasant shiver. The hands on his shoulder seemed to tighten, yet they felt farther than before. Each experience was conflicting, as if he were feeling things from two separate bodies. Which one was he in?

Another cry, this time more familiar, drawing closer. But wasn’t that the same voice? Who was it? He tried to focus on it, but it went quiet once again. 

“I didn’t think we’d be able to meet so fast,” the other voice came back, crawling along his skin. It made him feel sick. Like his insides were being pushed and twisted, shoved aside for this presence to get through. To get to him.

He heaved, a choked noise that was something between a scream and a retch coming from him. The voice, the good one, came back stronger this time. In some twist of irony, the more the jarring utterances came to him, the more he was pushed back into reality. Or was he pushing himself back? To escape. There must be some irony there. 

A hand caught his face, gentle yet demanding. His eyes strained, trying to catch onto any piece of detail. Blackness, blackness, blackness… there must be something. Where was it?

There. He squinted harder. It seemed far away, but there… some sort of spark. He tried to reach out, but his body didn’t move. Yet, it looked as though he was getting closer. 

The feeling it gave off was familiar. But it was strange to see it. Why did it feel so much like what he just left? What was the similarity? Why could he see it? 

Just as he had before, he tried to get a grasp on it, his… his mind stretching out. He brushed against it, and for a moment, he felt things in double. Unlike before, when he got himself stuck in the predicament full of screaming, this happened slower. Like he was meshing into whatever was there. 

‘Calm down Tom.’

His body jerked, but a strong hand-- his hand?-- kept him in place. At the same time that he could see nothing, he could see himself. What was happening?

‘Tom, I need you to relax. This won’t get better unless you relax.’

Jitters were running through him, but he could feel his shoulders slack. Or were they his? Everything was too confusing. 

‘I know just about as much as you. But Tom, you are in my head. At least, I think you are. I… wasn’t exactly expecting that.’

Your head? Whose head? How?

‘Mine. Nade? The person still sitting in this room with you as you try not to scream? You look like you want to keep screaming.’  
How do I get out? How do I get in my head?

‘Um, think about going back? No, wait, that could be bad. Um, stop thinking? Block everything out? I guess at some point your mind would be drawn back to you.’

You don’t sound too sure.

‘Look, I’m pulling solutions from my ass, just, just try it.’

Tom made no reply. It wouldn’t help to. He could hear himself take a shuddering breath as he worked to block things out. The room still felt painfully loud despite the growing silence. Their hearts echoed like drumbeats in the quiet, refusing to be blocked out. So he focused on the mostly steady rhythm. 

It was slow, it was halfway thunderous, but it was consistent. It didn’t stop. Sounds beyond that seemed to fade. He could feel his own eyes slipping closed. 

His breathing fell in time with each thump. Slow, easy movements saw him relaxing, settling more comfortably into the floor. For a few moments, he just sat there, listening.

“Tom?” Nade’s voice rang out, this time into the stillness of the room. 

He peeked his eyes open, grimacing at the brightness that came with the action. Adjusting, he opened them all the way, getting a clear view of his companion.

Blinking a few times, he muttered, “what the hell was that?”

Nade let out a breathless laugh, “Hell if I know, it was scary at shit! You just randomly started mumbling and full on screaming man. When you opened your eyes they were all glazed over, unseeing. What the hell happened with you?”

The fledgling shook his head, “I was reaching out, like you said, and I felt something? And then I could have sworn I was in Alice’s house again, but there was some person… and everything went dark. I panicked. Did I get in her head?” His eyes widened, “I got into yours didn't I?”

“Hell if I know. That what it seemed like,” Nade sighed, before continuing, “We should stop for now. If you want to do anything with that, we’ll want Dianite here.”

He took a quick sweep over Tom, noticing the exhaustion lingering behind his eyes.

“C’mon, let's get you something to eat. There might be some good stuff to drink on hand, but you might prefer Dianite instead,” Nade finished, wiggling his eyebrows.

Pushing into his feet, Tom scoffed, “You’re just jealous.” 

Rolling his eyes, Nade got up after him, taking care to make sure his friend didn't collapse.

~

Tom was happily munching on some tacos, in the strangely empty room when the first of the hungry clan members pushed through the cafeteria doors. An unexpected wave of noise hits his mind, making his head ache. He groans, rubbing his hands over his face, ignoring Nade’s concerned look.

Unlike before, he doesn’t feel the pull, doesn’t seem able to touch their minds, even as them feel as though they are brushing past his, almost as close as Nade’s. All that they convey is static. Each brush gives a murmur of thought, but no one holds the connection long enough to even notice. He wonders if this is because he isn’t trying to get into their mind.

“Hey man, you aren’t looking too good,” Nade jumps in, disturbing his inner ramblings, “Do you want to head back up to see Dianite? It may help.” 

Tight lipped Tom nods, having already given up on food. The constant wave of pointless sound, the subtle touch each mind that comes near, in whatever way they could possibly draw closer, throws off his senses. At one point, he may catch a glimmer of what someone sees, only to be caught in the snippets of someone else’s conversation, to then be forced to smell from someone else’s perspective. He could only imagine that what he was experiencing was what he had already seen and taken account of, but it seemed so… different from their view. As though the way other’s perceived things was inherently different.

Nade gently grabbed Tom’s arm, ignoring his startled jerk, and carefully guided him through the growing crowd. A few sent worried glances towards them, but the majority were either to enraptured in what they were doing, or simply assumed it was a side effect of such a recent change, to garner too much worry. The confusion and dizziness in Tom’s head didn’t lighten until they had made off into a quieter hall.

Letting the fledgling settle himself for a few moments, Nade silently led him towards the stairs. Though it was likely not the best option for a dazed being, it was a better option than going towards the elevator, where not only would they find more people, they could get stuck with a few in the elevator. Besides, it would be less weird carrying Tom up the stairs to Dianite’s room than into the elevator.

Once the duo found themselves in the stairway, Nade whispered to the younger vampire, “Are you feeling better now?”

Thinking better of simply nodding his head, Tom mumbled back, “Yeah, a bit. There was just… so many minds. That sounds weird doesn’t it?” He sighs, placing a shaking hand on the railing. “It’s like, now that I seem to have exposed myself to getting into people’s minds, I can’t stop? But, for some reason, I wasn’t pulled into their minds. I just got, I don’t know, bits of what they were feeling?”

He receives a shrug from his companion, as they climb the steps. The going was slow, the ache in his head forcing Tom to take it slow, the occasional dizziness making him grimace. It was a relief for both of them once they managed to make it to Dianite’s level, in which Tom had to sheepishly smile at Nadeshot, having not brought his key with him. 

The older rolled his eyes, swiftly turning to go back down the stairs, so as to get a spare one, otherwise known as: Ask Furia for his. After what was a decently long time for a what he was tasked with, Tom could hear Nade return to the stairwell, trying to be quiet as he made his way back.

“He is rather bitchy today, I would say,” Nade said upon his return, “I wonder why.” 

Tom gave him a shrug, having no answer for him. Nade just took that as a cue to unlock the door, holding it open for Tom to enter. Once both made it through, he turned to lock it once more, before following Tom, who had made a hasty retreat further into the suite. He wasn’t surprised. 

When he made it into the room after Tom, he watched him curl up next to Dianite, a low purr coming from him. It was likely he didn’t realise he was purring. The Lord happily draped an arm over his lover, pressing a light kiss to his forehead. 

“Did you have a nice time out, love?” Dianite asking cheerily, nosing into Tom’s hair. 

The fledgling gave a quiet hum of confirmation, seeming as though his head no longer hurt. He did have a natural mental connection with Dianite, after all. 

The Lord turned his head to look at Nade, “How are you today, Nade? I assume Tom didn’t because too much trouble?”

He shook his head, a small smile gracing his lips, “No Sire, we decided to help get some of that extra energy out by testing to check out his powers.”

The man perked up at that. “Oh, and how did that go? Has he displayed any pyrokinetic abilities yet? I don’t smell any smoke or burnt anything on him.” 

Here, Nade paused.

“No, he hasn’t as of yet. Though, we did explore a bit into his special abilities.” He supplied his Sire, who gave him a raised eyebrow as a signal to continue. “We aren’t… too sure what it is. But something happened. After a rather, well, strange occurrence, in which I can tell you nothing about, since I have no idea what happened, Tom somehow managed to… get into my mind? It was strange, but we could share thoughts, and I felt as though I was sharing my senses with him. I don’t really know to what extent this goes, and have no idea what the power is.”

Dianite settles his back further into his seat, considering this. Closing his eyes, he sighs. 

What a peculiar development.

“Thank you Nadeshot. Is there anything you need today, or are you good?” Dianite inquired, turning his focus back onto his older fledgling. It was his job, after all, to make sure his clan was in a good standing. 

Nade blinked for a moment, before assuring, “No, I’m good My Lord. Thank you for asking though.” He smiled, admittedly happy that Dianite cared enough to ask. “I should go return Furia’s key. Tom seemed to have a bad reaction to being near a lot of people. He said something about how he could feel their minds brush against his, and it seemed to really take a lot out of him. All dizzy and dazed.” 

He eyed the couple, before giving them a small smile, “Well, I leave you two for now. I bet you would like to have some nice alone time.” Sending them a wink, he strolled out, presumably to give Furia the key. 

Dianite just mumbled against Tom’s hair, “Oh what am I going to do with you.”

Oh what indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the low-key choppy end, I felt this was gonna run a little flat if I kept it going here. But hey, I updated this :D Miracles do happen. I am gonna try to get back on this better though, I feel a little bad for neglecting it DX


End file.
